


Strawberry Cream Cold Brew

by IcicleLilly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, and tsukki is here for it, yams is an awkward barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcicleLilly/pseuds/IcicleLilly
Summary: “Really?” Yamaguchi cocked his head. “You don’t like sweets?”“No,” The driver cast a disgusted look at the cavity-inducing caramel drink advertised on the poster by the store window. After another beat he said, “...I like strawberries, at least.”Yamaguchi grinned. “I know just the thing to make you next time, then!” He could fake confidence, this one time.“Ah, you know that, but not how to say the customer greeting?” The driver -Tsukki, Yamaguchi reminded himself - said dryly.Or:Yamaguchi is trying to get a handle on post-grad life, and Tsukishima is there to help, thanks to a certain drink.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 109
Collections: yamaguchi loves tsukki v much





	Strawberry Cream Cold Brew

“Good morning, thank you for choosing Starbux, what can I get started for you?”

It's a simple enough phrase. _Straightforward and to the point_ , Yamaguchi’s new manager had told him during his training, looking at him with such a grave, blank stare that Yamaguchi thought that he must be a little bit dead inside.

Now, after the fourth day in a row of shifts beginning at 4:30 AM, Yamaguchi understood the look.

That’s not to say that’s the only reason he is practically dead on his feet is Starbux. That would be too simple. It's the combination of his two jobs that gets to him. Yamaguchi is happy to have two jobs, he really is. Right after he graduated college, the economy took a swan dive into shit and it isn’t anywhere close to recovering. Luckily, he already had a job during undergrad - he was a server at a popular local restaurant that still managed to pull in a steady number of hungry customers. Yamaguchi was able to keep his job there and furiously apply for full-time jobs now that he had a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration.

Shockingly enough - this did not mean anything in America.

No matter how many jobs he applied to, not even the ones that barely paid minimum wage, not even the ones that he was _wildly overqualified_ for, Yamaguchi could not find a full-time job in his field, or anyone else’s, for that matter.

So, he was forced to start looking for part-time jobs when the rejections (or worse - not even a polite email rejection, just no response) became never ending.

Living in a college town full of broke undergrads wasn’t helping his search for a part-time job, either.

He had refused to work in the fast food industry from the start - he had enough vitriol spewed at him as a server, he did not need someone screaming at him to hand them their fried chicken sandwich faster. Yamauchi submitted applications to electronics stores, grocery stores, gyms, and finally, as a last ditch attempt, beauty stores.

Of course, he heard nothing back.

So when his friend told him about an opening at her job, on a day when his bank account and anxiety were reaching critical levels, Yamaguchi could not think of any reason to say no. He just had to keep reminding himself that Starbux wasn’t like a traditional fast food joint - he may still have to wear the ugly hat and prepare food, but at least he was called a barista. Yamaguchi was grateful to Yachi, even though he felt like he was going to keel over any moment now.

Last night, Blue Castle, the restaurant he worked at, had a great evening with massive parties and a seemingly endless stream of customers walking through the door inquiring about getting a table.

His manager was ecstatic, and promptly turned to Yamaguchi and informed him that he would be working a double. Yamaguchi couldn’t even say no - he wasn’t asked to work a double, he was _told_.

Also, it was really, _really_ hard to complain when he had received over three hundred dollars in tips once the night was over. It was almost going to be as much as his next paycheck. Yamaguchi sent a silent thank you to overpriced margaritas and excitable soccer moms attempting to be trendy on a girl’s night out.

Yamaguchi was finally able to collapse in his tiny apartment when the clock was ticking closer to 1:00 AM than midnight. His alarm went off in what felt like minutes later at 3:30, prompting three hits on his snooze button and finally an all out sprint in the pitch darkness of 4:15 AM to try to get to his shift at Starbux on time.

Which he made. With three seconds to spare, according to his timecard.

His manager eyed him closely that morning, openly watching as Yamaguchi tried to conceal his panting and sweating, then turned away without a word. Creepy.

So, that’s where Yamaguchi is now. Dead on his feet, close to utter exhaustion, and wearing a ridiculous green hat with the drive-through headset perched on top.

He was fine, really. Who wanted more than three hours of sleep when the rest of America needed its caffeine fix?

Through his very muddled mind, Yamaguchi considered the life choices, or rather lack of choices, that brought him to that very moment as a silver car pulled up to the drive-through. Like a robot, Yamaguchi switched his headset on.

“Good Starbux, thank you for choosing starting, what can I get morning for you?”

There was silence on the other end, and Yamaguchi ceased moving as he realized what he just said.

 _What the fuck just came out of my mouth_?

Despite barely having the mental faculties to be able to blink, a deep flush came over Yamaguchi and he found himself immediately stammering, having somehow forgotten the most _straightforward and to the point_ customer greeting. Finally, he gave up and remained quiet for a moment. The customer _hadn’t even said anything yet_ and it made Yamaguchi want to throw himself into the trash can by the doorway. Or maybe the recycling bin would be better. Maybe he could make up for his lackluster life by being reused in some sort of way. Make someone else’s life easier. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and all that.

After letting the silence drag out for what seemed like hours but was more like thirty seconds, the customer finally spoke.

“...grande cold brew with an add shot.”

The voice was monotone and goddamnit, he perfectly annunciated every word.

Yamaguchi swallowed and picked his next words out carefully. “Sure, anything else for you?”

“No.”

“Great, please pull forward to - I mean! Uh, what name should I put this under?”

“Tsuki-” and then the mic cut out, as the customer pulled forward to get his drink.

Quickly, Yamaguchi tried to weigh his options. There was only one other barista working at the moment, and he was tied up with a customer at the register. He couldn’t sneak off to the bathroom to hide from the line, since he would have to walk past his manager to get there. Even if he managed to escape, Yamaguchi knew that he would still be responsible for making the cold brew and giving it to the customer. Simply put, he was Fucked.

This became even more apparent when the silver car pulled up to the window, and a deeply tinted window rolled down.

 _Oh no, he’s hot_.

The man in the car had light blond hair and striking gold eyes behind thick, square _glasses_. Yamaguchi _loved_ men in glasses, he had ever since he saw the first _Harry Potter_ movie when he was six, and -

Oh god, now Glasses was looking at him through the window of the drive-through expectantly, and Yamaguchi wasn’t going to get out of this one, was he?

“G-Good morning!” Yamaguchi tried to cover his stiflingly awkward feelings by being overly nice. “Your total is $4.35.”

Wordlessly, Blond Stoic Harry Potter - or maybe even Draco Malfoy with glasses - handed over a shiny looking credit card and Yamaguchi rang him up before turning to him. “Your order will be right out!”

Again, nothing, and the window closed behind Yamaguchi as he quickly made the brew, relying heavily on the recipe list near the ingredients as he hadn’t memorized how to make all the drinks yet.

“Here you go!” Yamaguchi passed the drink through the window. Before he could think about it, he said, “You know, you’re pretty brave to be drinking an iced coffee when it's so cold outside.”

Glasses seemed just as surprised at the attempt to strike up a conversation as Yamaguchi felt. After a moment's pause, he said, “This is the only drink that I like here.”

“Really?” Yamaguchi cocked his head. “You don’t like sweets?”

“No,” The driver cast a disgusted look at the cavity-inducing caramel drink advertised on the poster by the store window. After another beat he said, “...I like strawberries, at least.”

Yamaguchi grinned. “I know just the thing to make you next time, then!” He could fake confidence, this one time.

“Ah, you know that, but not how to say the customer greeting?” The driver - _Tsukki_ , Yamaguchi reminded himself - said dryly.

Yamaguchi wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion or the nerve-wracking situation that had caught up with him, but he found himself laughing behind his hand. _Oh, he’s funny, too?_ Tsukki seemed pleased that he caught the joke, and hid his smile behind a sip of his drink.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said when his laughter died down. “I, uh, had a late night.”

Was he imagining it, or did Tsukki’s eyebrows jump when Yamaguchi said his name?

Tsukki put his drink in his cup holder and glanced down at his nametag. “It's fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tadashi.”

“O-Oh, okay, have a nice day.”

Yamaguchi watched as the silver Toyota pulled out of the drive-through line, face still hot despite the bite from the early morning chill on his cheeks. He hoped that the driver would see the message that he wrote on the side of his drink.

 _Sorry, Tsukki_.

❅

As the coffee grinders spun to life the next morning, Yamaguchi tried to calm himself down by sorting out the pastry display.

Working with Yachi wasn’t helping his nerves much, either. 

“Okay, so,” She looked at Yamaguchi, eyes wide with barely concealed nervous energy. “Run the plan by me one more time.”

Yamaguchi sighed. “When Tsukki comes today, I’ll make him a cold brew with strawberry cream.”

“And you practiced how to say the customer greeting?”

“Yes, I practiced how to say the customer greeting,” Yamaguchi muttered, trying to bury his face into the croissants at the thought of his mistake yesterday.

Thankfully, their store had a huge rush after The Incident with Tsukki. The fast-paced environment got Yamaguchi’s mind off of his soul crushing embarrassment and his exhaustion. When he got home that afternoon, he was able to make it to his bedroom before collapsing, dead to the world until very late that evening, as he was woken up by frantic knocking on his door.

“TADASHI!” Yachi bellowed as soon as he opened the door. “Are-Are you alright?!”

Yamaguchi rubbed the sleep out of his eye and suppressed a yawn. His brain was still feeling very muddled. “Um, yeah?”

All of the tension released from Yachi’s shoulders and she sagged into the doorframe. “Oh, thank god. After what you texted me I thought you had died when you didn’t respond.”

“I texted you?”

After being ushered in - Yamaguchi noted that Yachi was somehow in the possession of an AED - Yachi showed him her text messages.

Sent: October 11, 2018 at 12:43 PM  
FROM: Tada$hi YamaguCCI  
TO: Hitoka⚘  
SUBJECT: Tell my family I love them  
_I made a terrible mistake. Always remember that you were my best friend._

And so followed about fifty messages from Yachi inquiring about Yamaguchi’s safety and begging him to respond, as well as 35 phone calls and 12 facetime attempts.

“Yachi, I’m so sorry, I was so tired, I don’t even remember sending that,” Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as he read all of her messages. “I must’ve texted you right before I went to sleep.”

“It’s okay, I definitely know what it's like to think you’re gonna die a few times a day,” Yachi sighed, sitting on the couch and finally putting the AED down by her feet. “Did something happen, though?”

Yamaguchi told her the entire story, and by the end, she was peeking at him from behind her fingers, when she had buried her face to hide from the secondhand embarrassment his life was causing her.

“ _Tadashi_ ,” Yachi seemed close to tears. “What drink are you even going to make him tomorrow? Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know!” Yamaguchi was hiding behind his eyes now, too. “I-I must have been exhausted. I could never say something like that normally.”

After a moment's pause, Yachi took a deep breath. “Well, we only have one option then.”

Yamaguchi chanced a look at her. “We do?”

She nodded, resolve hardened. “We’ll make Blond Harry Potter the best strawberry drink that Starbux has to offer.” They spent the remainder of the evening looking up different recipes, and Yamaguchi treated her to take out as an apology for making his most nervous friend think that he was no longer amongst the living.

Yachi’s confidence had waned by the next morning, though, and she was almost vibrating with nervous energy as Yamaguchi made his first grande strawberry cold brew with an add shot. The resulting drink was… actually pretty cute. Signature iced black coffee filled up three-quarters of the cup and pink strawberry flavored cream covered the rest. Yamaguchi passed it over to Yachi for a taste test and held his breath for her verdict.

She took a generous gulp and her eyes widened. _Shit_ Yamaguchi thought. _I’ve killed my best friend!_

“Tadashi,” Yachi said, very much alive. “It’s _so good_. You have to try some!” Yamaguchi took the cup and brought it up to his lips. Despite his distaste for bitter drinks, Yamaguchi had to admit that this was an amazing idea. The strawberry cream was light - it didn’t add too much sweetness, but also not so light that it was overpowered by the taste of the cold brew. It had a perfect balance.

“Wow!” Yamaguchi felt a sense of excitement for the first time. “We actually did it!”

“No, you did!” Yachi smiled at him. “And all because you become so confident.”

“Uh, I think that was the three hours of sleep talking,” Yamaguchi said, scratching at his cheek. “But, thank you for helping. I owe you another takeout.”

“I’m unlocking the front door,” their manager said, signaling their opening and the start of the workday. “Let’s work hard and follow the recipes closely.” How did one man manage to be so consistently monotone?

“Okay, Kita,” Yamaguchi and Yachi chorused.

As the minutes ticked by, Yamaguchi got increasingly more nervous. Yesterday, Tsukki had been in the drive-through line by 6:30. As the clock inched closer to 7:00, Yamaguchi felt a knot grow in his stomach, and above all, he felt a bit embarrassed. What if Tsukki never came, and he did all the research and dragged Yachi into it for nothing?

One of the best things about being close with Yachi was that she could make Yamaguchi feel like he wasn’t the biggest nervous wreck on the planet. She accomplished this by being the biggest nervous wreck on the planet all on her own.

Yachi was the last person that needed to drink a black coffee with an espresso shot, but she couldn’t resist the strawberry cream cold brew that Yamaguchi made to practice. She polished it off within the first hour of their shift, and if Yamaguchi thought she was vibrating with nervous energy before, it was nothing compared to this. She exuberantly shouted back to customers ordering at the register, nearly dropped a full gallon of milk in her gusto to pour a drink, and almost tripped over her own two feet as she ran to the counter with two piping hot drinks in her hands.

During a lull in customers, Yamaguchi tried to rein her in. “Yachi, you have to _relax_ ,” Yamaguchi hissed, trying not to get the attention of Kita, where he was wiping down some tables nearby. 

“I can’t,” Yachi whispered, horrified. “My heart is racing - I should’ve - I should’ve brought my AED with me, I can’t go out like this-”

“Go out like what?” Yamaguchi whispered back urgently. “You just had some coffee, you’ll be okay, I promise-”

“I won’t even be there to see you get married to Tsukki,” Yachi appeared to have not heard him. “All that effort - and I won’t be able to eat one of the strawberries on your cake-”

“ _What_?”

“Your wedding,” Yachi moaned. “You and Tsukki will have a strawberry themed cake as an homage to the cold brew you made just for him.”

At this, Yamaguchi had to laugh, Kita be damned. He tried to hide it behind his hand, and Yachi looked up at him and blinked slowly. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself there,” Yamaguchi said around his giggles. “Let’s see if he even comes today, okay?”

“Okay,” Yachi agreed, and her shoulders sagged down. Yamaguchi set her back up at the main register with a venti water to try to flush out the coffee from her system.

When he returned to the drive-through window, it was just in time to see a familiar silver Toyota at the cameras.

Yamaguchi took a deep, calming breath and said, “Good morning, thank you for choosing Starbux, what can I get started for you?”

“Ah- is this Tadashi?”

 _He remembered!_ Yamaguchi tried to calm the fluttery feeling in his stomach. “Yes!”

“It’s, ah, Tsukki.” There was silence on the other line for a moment, then, “What should I order?”

“It's actually off the menu,” Yamaguchi said. “But you’ll just be charged for the cold brew. Come around to the window.” He turned to tell Yachi that it was _happening_ but she was with a customer and had three more in line behind her.

The silver Toyota pulled up, and Yamaguchi’s heart leaped at the sight of Tsukki. “Should I be scared?” Tsukki said in the same dry tone he used the day prior.

“Only if you suddenly hate cold brews,” Yamaguchi said cheekily. Tsukki’s lip quirked up, and Yamaguchi knew it was just for him. “That’ll be $4.35.” Tsukki handed over the same shiny card again, and Yamaguchi noticed how long and _slender_ his fingers were. Was there anything on this man that Yamaguchi wasn’t into?

Yamaguchi set about making the strawberry cream cold brew, making sure to follow his recipe exactly. Kita would have been so proud if Yamaguchi was actually making something on the menu.

“Here you are,” Yamaguchi reached out of the window to hand Tsukki his drink, “Your strawberry cream cold brew with an add shot!”

Tsukki looked amused at Yamaguchi’s obvious excitement. “Thanks,” he said, and took a sip. His eyes widened a fraction and he took a long drink. “It’s… really good, Tadashi.”

“Thanks!” Yamaguchi chirped, failing to hide his preening under the compliment.

“I haven’t heard of this before. Is this drink just at this store?”

“Ah, well, kind of,” Yamaguchi scratched at the back of his head. “I made the recipe myself so… I would have to be scheduled here to make it, too.”

“You made this just for me?” Tsukki raised an eyebrow at him.

“O-Oh, um!” Yamaguchi had _not_ thought this through. “Um- think of it as an apology!”

“...an apology?”

“For, um, messing up yesterday!” Yamaguchi was very aware that he was stammering. “The greeting, yeah! I wanted to make it up to you.”

Yamaguchi was quickly learning that Tsukki had a very calculating gaze. “I see.”

“S-Sorry Tsukki,” he said, looking down. “If it's weird…”

“It’s weird,” Tsukki agreed. Yamaguchi jumped and met his eyes again. “But it tastes good, so I forgive you.” Tsukki’s eyes had a sense of playfulness in them, and Yamaguchi felt his stomach unknot a bit.

“I’m glad,” Yamaguchi replied, flushing.

“So, you have to be here for me to get this, correct?”

Yamaguchi nodded.

“And your next shift is…?”

“Um, on Monday!”

“Okay,” Tsukki took another sip and set his drink down in his cup holder. “I’ll see you then, Tadashi.”

“S-See you then, Tsukki.” And he drove away.

Yamaguchi felt like screaming, dancing, _shouting from the rooftops_ -

“Tadashi,” a monotone voice said, from right behind him. It took everything in Yamaguchi to not yelp, but he knew that Kita saw him violently flinch. “Can you help Hitoka with the drinks at the main register?”

Yamaguchi turned around and Kita looked back at him blankly. “Y-Yes, Kita!”

Kita simply stared for a moment, then went to clean the bathroom. 

Yamaguchi scrambled around with Yachi for the rest of his shift, trying to manage the morning rush for caffeine. Unlike yesterday, Yamaguchi had a reason to be happy.

He was going to see Tsukki again.

❅

Yamaguchi and Tsukki had fallen into a routine of sorts.

For the last two weeks, Tsukki had come to every one of Yamaguchi’s shifts to order a strawberry cream cold brew. Each day, Tsukki came to the window to chat with Yamaguchi for a few minutes, right before the morning rush started. Yamaguchi thought it was nice, the way that they exchanged banter. Yachi said multiple times that it was actually _flirting_ but Yamaguchi did not want to get his hopes up.

Yamaguchi had taken to writing something different on his cup each day. At first, it was little things, like have a good day or see you Tuesday, but Yamaguchi became bolder as time wore on. He now wrote little comments about their conversations the day prior, and they were usually snarky. One day, he wrote in regards to Tsukki’s complaints about his manager, _don’t let the little gremlin get to you!_ The first thing Tsukki told him the next day was that his manager saw his cup and asked who the gremlin was.

“Did you tell him?” Yamaguchi asked.

Tsukki huffed a laugh. “It took everything within me to keep my mouth shut.” At this, Yamaguchi snickered behind his hand and Tsukki gave a small smile back.

Yamaguchi was in _love_.

He learned that Tsukki was new in town, and he was currently living with his brother while he got his bearings. Tsukki’s favorite type of music was classical, and it played softly in his car while they chatted each morning. Tsukki was also _bitchy_ , unashamedly so, and it made Yamaguchi feel like he could laugh and say what he actually wanted to for once, without a thought to other’s feelings. Tsukki wasn’t a cat or dog person but said he would be willing to give dogs a try once Yamaguchi proclaimed his love for them. He was originally from the city just a hundred miles over, but went out of state for college and studied accounting. Tsukki always dressed professionally, and Yamaguchi wanted nothing more than to yank his tie and pull him down into a kiss.

Yamaguchi hadn’t even seen him standing up yet, but the man exuded Tall Person Energy, and _damn_ if that wasn’t a turn on, even if it was just imagined.

Everything seemed to be going well for Yamaguchi, finally. Seeing Tsukki every day made him excited to work at Starbux, even though they only spoke for a few minutes. He had found a balance between both of his jobs and knew that if he had an opportunity to sleep, he should take it. 

Yamaguchi was contemplating his lucky streak one morning when Tsukki pulled up to the drive-through window. They exchanged their normal greetings and Yamaguchi set about making his signature strawberry creme cold brew.

“Tadashi,” Tsukki began once Tadashi had passed him his drink, “You work tomorrow right?”

“Yes,” Yamaguchi smiled. He loved that Tsukki remembered everything he told him. “My normal hours, from 4:30 AM to 12:30 PM.”

Tsukki frowned. “I won’t be able to make it tomorrow morning.”

“O-Oh,” Yamaguchi knew he shouldn’t be this disappointed, but damn it, he liked his mornings with Tsukki. “That’s okay, I understand.”

“Still…” Tsukki looked thoughtful and was barely making eye contact with Yamaguchi. “I’d like to make it up to you. My lunch hour starts when you’re off. Can I take you out?”

Yamaguchi’s brain short-circuited, and he knew he was silent for a beat too long. There was a hundred percent chance he was blushing, too. _Speak, damn it!_ “Y-Yes!”

“Good,” Tsukki’s face wasn’t very expressive, but Yamaguchi thought he looked a little relieved. “I’ll come by here to pick you up.”

“Cool,” Yamaguchi said, and immediately felt very lame.

“Cool,” Tsukki parroted back, flashing a small smile. “I’ll see you then, Tadashi.”

“B-Bye, Tsukki.”

His heart was pounding so loud in his ears, he barely heard Yachi’s shriek behind him. 

“Tadashi, did he just ask you out?!”

“Y-Yeah, I think so,” Yamaguchi swallowed and turned to face Yachi, whose eyes were wide and happy. “He’s taking me out to lunch tomorrow.”

“ _Tadashi_ ,” Yachi squeaked, moving forward and grabbing his hands.

“Yachi,” He said back, gravely, “I’m going on a date with Tsukki tomorrow.”

“ _I know_ ,” Yachi shrieked again and bounced on the balls of her feet. Yamaguchi found himself imitating her, nervous and shaky and _excited_ -

“What are you two doing?”

“K-Kita!” Yachi’s voice reached an even higher pitch. “Um, we were, um, celebrating a job well done!” Kita had poked his head out from the storage room where he was taking inventory, no doubt drawn out by their yelling.

That had to be the worst excuse that Yamaguchi has ever heard. He had to know she was lying. Kita blankly looked at them and said, “There’s no need to celebrate something you two always do.” And he went back into the closet.

Yamaguchi slapped a hand over his mouth to cover his laugh and Yachi giggled under her breath.

He spent the rest of his shift in a happy daze, but he always managed to get the customer greeting right.

❅

After a seemingly endless shift, Yamaguchi went into the employee restroom to change out of his work uniform. He realized that he was doomed to wear khakis and Vans on his first date with Tsukki, but he could at least change out of his black polo and attempt to run his fingers over his hair to try to work out the indents from his hat. He attempted to calm his nerves, but failed miserably and returned to the store to wait for Tsukki.

The bell above the door dinged, and Yamaguchi’s heart stopped when he saw who was walking in.

It was Tsukki, in _all his glory_ and holy _shit_ Yamaguchi thought that he might be tall but he must have been pushing at least six foot three and he was lean and elegant in his peacoat and he was walking _right towards Yamaguchi_ -

“Good afternoon, thank you for choosing Starbux, what can I get started for you?” Kita droned behind the register, oblivious to Yamaguchi’s _suffering_ -

“Nothing, this time,” Tsukki said and turned to Yamaguchi. “Ready?”

Yamaguchi had to force himself to speak. “Y-Yeah.” He said goodbye to Kita and the staff covering the store, aware that their eyes were trained on him and Tsukki.

They climbed into Tsukki’s silver Toyota, and Yamaguchi admired how clean and new it was. He made a silent vow to never let Tsukki into his 2002 Honda, whose seats were permanently stained and was only still running due to Yamaguchi’s unwillingness to let it go.

“Feeling nervous? You’re quiet today.”

 _No, just thinking about my shitty car_. “Sorry, Tsukki.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why did you give me a nickname?”

Yamaguchi blinked. “Nickname? Your name isn’t Tsukki?”

Tsukki quirked an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been swiping my credit card for the last two weeks, and you never looked at my name?”

“...no?”

A glimmer appeared in Tsukki’s eyes and Yamaguchi got the feeling he was being laughed at, without the laughter. “Well, my full name is Kei Tsukishima.”

Yamaguchi hummed. “Kei,” he said experimentally and frowned a bit.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that,” Yamaguchi said quickly. “I guess I just got used to calling you Tsukki.”

Tsukishima thought for a moment. “You can call me Kei in certain circumstances, then.”

“Certain circumstances?”

Tsukishima huffed a laugh and met Yamaguchi’s eyes. His look could only be described as _predatory_. “You’ll see.”

Yamaguchi gulped and tried to play off how much Tsukki’s words had affected him. “U-Um, where are we going?”

“There’s a cafe down the street I’ve been meaning to try…”

“Oh, Miya’s?”

Tsukki paused. “You’ve been there before?”

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi chuckled. “I live close by, and it’s super popular with college students…” Tsukishima looked a little put out and Yamaguchi quickly backtracked. “But, I’m happy to be going with you! It’s your first time, right?”

“Yeah. I haven’t been able to get out much, since I’ve lived here.”

“Well, I hope I can change that!” Yamaguchi grinned, and Tsukki’s eyes flicked off of the road ahead to glance at him. He seemed to smile after that, too.

Miya’s was usually packed with twenty-somethings, but it was empty that afternoon as many college students were in class. They were able to get a cozy table inside, away from the chilly autumn wind. Yamaguchi felt that the date went _really_ well. Despite his nerves, Yamaguchi was able to keep up their comfortable banter and not spill food all over himself. When lightly pressured by Tsukki, he was even able to tell the story of how the strawberry cream cold brew came to be, sans all of his blatant attraction to Tsukki. Still, Tsukishima was shrewd enough to pick up on it.

“You must have been really taken by me,” Tsukshima smirked, eyes glinting with mischief.

“Well, I love a man in glasses.” He did _not_ mean to say that out loud. Yamaguchi flushed and Tsukki’s smirk deepened.

“That’s lucky for me.”

Yamaguchi was ready to invite Tsukishima up to his apartment right then and there, but their food was brought out by a bored-looking waiter before he had the chance to offer.

When he left, Tsukki said, “And, I love a man with freckles.”

Yamaguchi was sure that his freckles were completely covered by his blush at this point. “T-Thanks, Tsukki.”

❅

After lunch, Tsukishima graciously offered to drive Yamaguchi back to his apartment, even though it was only a fifteen-minute walk away. Well, the offer seemed gracious, until they parked. Tsukishima turned to Yamaguchi, leaned across the center console, and wrapped his fingers around the back of Yamaguchi’s neck.

“Okay?” He murmured, golden eyes half-lidded and extremely close. They were close enough that Yamaguchi could make out the light blond of his eyelashes and the bow of Tsukishima’s upper lip. All Yamaguchi could do was nod, and Tsukishima closed the distance between them. His lips were just as soft as they looked and Tsukishima kissed him firmly, languidly, like he had all the time in the world to enjoy Yamaguchi. It wasn’t long until he was licking into Yamaguchi’s mouth, pressing more and _more_ until Yamaguchi’s head was swimming. All he could do was grasp onto Tsukishima’s shirt and try to match his intensity, kissing back with all that he had.

Tsukki’s hand slid up to cradle the back of Yamaguchi’s head, tangling into his hair while he twisted his tongue. It made such a lewd noise that Yamaguchi had to pull away while crying out Tsukki’s name - his first name.

“ _K-Kei_ -”

“See?” Tsukishima leaned down to mouth where Yamaguchi’s neck wasn’t covered by his jacket. “You knew what I meant.”

It was all happening so quickly, Yamaguchi didn’t feel like he had any time to process that he was finally kissing Tsukishima, who had dominated his thoughts for the greater part of the last two weeks. His brain felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton, and all he could manage to focus on was the texture of Tsukki’s tongue, the press of his hands against his head and hip, and the soft noises that escaped Tsukishima’s throat.

Yamaguchi pulled Tsukishima’s head up, tangling his fingers into his soft hair, suddenly unable to bear having Tsukki so close without kissing him. He slotted their mouths together and _yes_ , it was _perfect_ -

Until they heard loud giggling from next to the car, and the two broke apart to see a couple of college-aged girls walking into Yamaguchi’s apartment building, looking at the two of them over their shoulders. They broke apart and Yamaguchi remembered where they were - parked on the side of a major street in the middle of the day.

A nervous laugh escaped Yamaguchi and Tsukishima laughed, too, smiling larger than Yamaguchi had seen before. “Do you know those girls?”

“No,” Yamaguchi said. “And if I did, I wouldn’t care, either.”

Tsukishima smirked. “Good.”

“Um, do you want to come up?”

“Maybe next time.” Yamaguchi deflated, and Tsukishima continued, “My lunch break is almost over, Tadashi.”

“Ah, I forgot.”

“I almost did, too.” Tsukishima brushed some of Yamaguchi’s hair away from his face. “Can I have your phone number?”

Yamaguchi couldn’t help it, he had to laugh. “Obviously.”

Yamaguchi pulled out his phone and marveled at how strangely perfect his life seemed to be going. It was a stark contrast to how most of his life had been going since he graduated five months ago. Maybe this moment made it all worth it.

They both leaned in for one last kiss, and it was just as good as the first.

❅

“Yachi,” Yamaguchi said, watching as Tsukishima’s car pulled out of the drive-through for the third time that week. “This isn’t a dream, right?”

Yachi laughed. “If this was a dream, I’d hope we would both have better jobs.”

“True that,” Yamaguchi sighed. “Well, if I hadn’t started working here, I wouldn’t have met Tsukki.”

She hummed and continued wiping off the counters. “It’s cute that he still visits you every shift, too.”

“Isn’t it?” Yamaguchi leaned over the freshly cleaned counter to rest his chin in his palm.

“Geez, Tadashi,” Yachi laughed at him again. “You look like a pining woman in a romance novel.”

“I have a lot to pine over!” 

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had been on four dates. They had been to the movies, to dinner a few times, and Yamaguchi even convinced Tsukishima to go on a hike with him when they both had a morning off of work. Tsukki had grumbled for most of the hike but was placated by curling up to watch a documentary with Yamaguchi in his apartment afterward.

They texted every day, but it was spotty as they both had demanding jobs and very different schedules. Yamaguchi felt that Tsukki visiting him at work for a few minutes every morning was him making up for their lack of communication in the three weeks they had been dating. It was sweet and thoughtful, and in typical Tsukishima fashion, he said nothing about it. Actions spoke louder than words with him, and Yamaguchi knew that Tsukki wasn’t the type of person to go out of his way to do something that he did not want to do.

Yamaguchi groaned and let his head fall onto the counter. “I’m really falling for him.”

“I know,” Yachi patted his back. “But if you smudge the counters I just cleaned, I will tell Kei about what happened in the dining hall our freshman year.”

“ _You wouldn’t_.”

Yachi smiled sweetly. “Keep leaning on the counter and see for yourself.”

In the end, Yamaguchi made it up to Yachi by making her a strawberry creme cold brew, sans the add shot.

❅

It was late one evening when Yamaguchi got the call. He had just gotten home from the dinner shift at Blue Castle, and the heater in his apartment was attempting to drive out the chill of the night air. It was a good effort, but recently his apartment always felt cold when Tsukishima wasn’t there to keep him company. Yamaguchi could only imagine the teasing he would have to endure if Tsukki knew that he felt that way. However, the teasing was usually worth it, as Tsukishima had taken to thoroughly kissing Yamaguchi if he thought he had gone too far.

“Tadashi,” Tsukishima began once Yamaguchi picked up. “I have good news.”

Yamaguchi perked up. “What is it?”

“My brother’s hospital is hiring, in the administrative department.”

“Oh, are you interested in working there?”

There was a long pause. “Yamaguchi.”

“Yes…?”

“You got your degree in Healthcare Administration, right?”

“Yes?” Yamaguchi finally caught on. “O-Oh! Tsukki, I can’t! That’s too much to ask of him - and you!” Yamaguchi stammered on for a few moments longer until he trailed off. Akiteru worked at the only major hospital in their town. There were bound to be way more qualified candidates for the position.

“Just apply, Tadashi,” Tsukishima said, exasperation bleeding through in his voice. “There’s no guarantee you’ll get the job, but I think it’s worth a shot.”

“I feel bad… I just met Akiteru, too.”

“And he told me about the job right after,” Tsukishima said. “He must have thought you would be good for the position, right?”

“I suppose…”

Tsukishima sighed. “Have some confidence in yourself, for once.” 

Yamaguchi was quiet, for a while. The minutes ticked on. He had no idea what to say - he never had much confidence in himself before. It was embarrassing that Tsukishima was pointing out one of his worst traits - the one that constantly told him that he wasn’t good enough.

Tsukki finally broke the silence. “That was too harsh.”

“N-No, Tsukki, don’t worry about it-”

“I’m sorry.”

In their few months of dating, Tsukishima had never apologized to him before. There were other ways he tried to make things up to Yamaguchi when he went too far, and Yamaguchi understood that Tsukishima was not the type to talk about everything he was feeling. This was big for him.

“It’s okay, really. You’re right, anyway. I should apply.”

“If it's not too late, maybe,” Tsukishima seemed hesitant. “I could come over and help you with the application?”

It _was_ late, but tomorrow was Saturday - Tsukki was off all day and Yamaguchi didn’t work until the evening shift. Plus, he hadn’t seen Tsukishima for more than five minutes for the past few days. It seemed perfect. “Sure!” He chirped, spirits lifted. Tsukki was just looking out for him.

“Have you had dinner?”

“Ah, not yet.”

“I’ll be over in a half-hour with food.” Then Tsukishima hung up.

Yamaguchi was excited for all of five seconds until he looked around at the state of his apartment and furiously cleaned for the next twenty minutes. He had just managed to change out of his old sweatpants and set up his laptop in the living room when Tsukishima knocked on his door.

“Come in, come in…” Yamaguchi held open the door and Tsukishima placed the large take out bag on the small kitchen table. “What did you get?”

“Miya’s.” Yamaguchi’s stomach rumbled, and Tsukishima smirked. “I’m guessing that’s good?”

“Definitely!” Yamaguchi watched as Tsukki pulled all of the food out of the bag. “Ah! You got all my favorites!” There were soggy french fries, two chicken sandwiches, and even a slice of pie. “Wow Tsukki,” Yamaguchi teased. “You never get this much food. You must really like me.”

“I do,” Tsukishima said seriously. Yamaguchi’s attention snapped away from the food. “That’s why… I get annoyed when you don’t see how amazing you are.”

“Aw, _Tsukki_.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Tsukishima said, steadily avoiding his gaze and sitting down at the table.

“It is, though,” Yamaguchi sat across from him, and grabbed his hand. Tsukishima finally looked at him. “All of this is really sweet. I appreciate that you see something in me that I don’t.” He blushed. “And, well, I like you, too.”

Tsukishima twined their hands together and gave him a brief squeeze before letting go. “Let’s eat, then. I know you like soggy fries, but I’m not sure how I feel about soggy sandwiches.”

Yamaguchi laughed. “Sorry, Tsukki.”

The meal was delicious, and the company was even better. They moved to the couch for dessert and put on a shark documentary in the background. Yamaguchi got to enjoy watching the top of Tsukishima’s cheeks turn pink as he was fed another forkful of strawberry rhubarb pie. Tsukishima feigned exasperation, but Yamaguchi could tell that he loved it.

“Ah, you have some whipped cream on your mouth,” Tsukki leaned down to kiss him, and Yamaguchi broke away with a snort.

“ _Oh my god_ , Tsukki, that was terrible.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Tsukishima leaned down to kiss him again, and Yamaguchi let himself be pressed down onto the couch cushions below. Tsukishima’s weight on top of him was familiar and new, all at the same time. It felt as though Tsukki was meant to be there - but he and Yamaguchi hadn’t gotten this far before. Tsukishima’s elbow propped himself up on the cushion next to Yamaguchi, where he was kissing him thoroughly, and his other hand pressed against his hip. It rose steadily, up, up, up, to his chest before turning back down, drawing maddening figure eights that left Yamaguchi breathless. “Tadashi.”

“Hmm?” Yamaguchi’s head was full of cotton again.

“Is this okay?” Tsukishima murmured, meeting Yamaguchi’s eyes with an urgency he hadn’t seen before.

It was more than okay - it was amazing, groundbreaking, _phenomenal_ \- “It’s okay,” was all Yamaguchi could manage to say out loud and dragged Tsukishima down for another heartstopping kiss.

The application could wait until the morning.

❅

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi called out, dropping his keys into the bowl by the front door.

“In here,” Tsukishima responded from their spare bedroom. When Yamaguchi entered, he had to stifle his laughter. All around Tsukishima were metal parts, and he was sitting on the floor reading a thick direction manual. “Remind me again why this dog gets not only its own room but also this massive crate that I’m somehow in charge of building.”

“You told me you could do it by yourself,” Yamaguchi carefully stepped around the metal pieces so he was next to Tsukishima. “And the dog isn’t getting her own room - you just didn’t want to put the crate in our room.”

Tsukishima grumbled and Yamaguchi bent down to kiss him. “I can help if you want?”

“Shut up, I can do it,” Tsukki still seemed annoyed and Yamaguchi pulled out what he had been hiding behind his back.

“Sorry, Tsukki. Maybe this will help you out?”

Tsukki blinked up at Yamaguchi’s outstretched hand. He was holding a familiar looking cup with pink cream on top. “A strawberry cream cold brew? I thought Yachi quit working at Starbux weeks ago.”

“She did,” Yamaguchi passed the drink over to Tsukishima. “Before she left she taught Kita how to make it, too.”

It had been just over six months since Yamaguchi had messed up the customer greeting at Starbux. In just half a year, it seemed like his whole life had changed. The first major change was _finally_ getting a better job. With Tsukishima’s help on the application and Akiteru’s help preparing for the interview, Yamaguchi was now working at the largest hospital in their town. He was able to quit Starbux and Blue Castle, and now enjoyed a perfectly stable sleep schedule.

Their relationship had only gotten more serious from then on. Now that Yamaguchi was working the same Monday to Friday schedule as Tsukishima, they were inseparable when they were not working. Tsukki had met all of Yamaguchi’s friends and was even able to make a few on his own. When Yamaguchi mentioned that his apartment lease was about to be up, Tsukishima had suggested they move in together.

“It only makes sense,” He had said. “I’m tired of living with my brother, and you hate your apartment.” Yamaguchi noticed he was steadily avoiding eye contact and snickered.

“Of course, it only makes sense,” Yamaguchi said back, leaning up to kiss his boyfriend. “That’s the only reason why we want to move in together.”

Now they were almost fully moved into their apartment. It was still a bit sparse looking, but they could wait to decorate. What Yamaguchi couldn’t wait for was getting a dog. As soon as the lease was signed, they went to the local shelter and found the _perfect_ dog, in Yamaguchi’s opinion.

“It’s ugly,” Tsukishima said flatly, as Yamaguchi held her up to his face.

“ _No_ , she has _character_ ,” Yamaguchi said passionately. Tsukki looked at him blankly. Yamaguchi sighed. “Okay, maybe she is a bit ugly, but she’s so sweet! And, she’s under the weight requirement on the lease.”

Tsukishima looked unconvinced, but after she curled up by his feet and stared up at him, crooked teeth and all, he agreed that she was perfect for them. She still had to get fixed and get all her shots, so they were now building her crate in preparation for her arrival. Rather, Tsukki was.

“Kita made something off of the menu? That guy?”

“Of course he did, I was the best employee there,” Yamaguchi sniffed.

“Sure, this coming from the guy that said _‘good Starbux, what can I get morning-’_ ”

“Hey!” Yamaguchi swatted at him. “A thank you would be nice.”

“Thank you, Tadashi,” Tsukki smiled and Yamaguchi took a seat on the floor next to him. “For more than just the drink.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I first moved here, I wasn’t even sure I liked it enough to stay. I just wanted to get experience at my firm and apply for a job back in the city. Now that I’ve met you, everything's changed,” Tsukishima wasn’t meeting his eyes again.

“Aw, Tsukki, look at me,” Yamaguchi said, touched. It wasn’t often that Tsukishima opened up. It took some prodding from Yamaguchi and finally, he just had to grab Tsukishima’s face and nudge it until they were looking at each other. “I’m glad I met you, too.”

Tsukki tangled their fingers together. “You know how I feel about you, right?”

“I love you, too.”

“Good, because I need you to finish building this fucking crate.”

Yamaguchi laughed behind his hand, and a couple of hours later they were able to finish it. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you’ve enjoyed my very self indulgent fic! Yams is one of my favorite Haikyuu characters, so I loved writing this. I had so many tough decisions to make - I almost made this rated E. A part of me still wants to write what happened after Tsukki brought Yamaguchi dinner. I really struggled with choosing the store manager. I was stuck between Suna or Kita, but I decided to go with Kita because I love the idea of a guy that never gets nervous working with Yamaguchi and Yachi all day. Thank you for reading <3


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